1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a mechanism for preventing, or at least significantly limiting, the opening of a pickup truck or sport utility vehicle tailgate to prevent theft of objects in the bed thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Motorcycles, four-wheelers, three-wheelers, go-carts, lawn mowers, and other large, heavy recreational and pleasure vehicles and other objects are often transported in the open beds of pickup trucks. Such objects are tied down in the truck bed for stability during transport, but they are not conveniently secured in such a way that theft becomes substantially difficult. The height of motorcycles and the weight of all large objects make it impractical to enclose the truck bed for security, such as with a truck cap, because maneuvering the large objects into and out of the bed requires the person to stand upright for leverage and balance. Therefore, a security problem exists, because valuable objects are stored in open beds of pickup trucks without being secured.
People often transport their motorcycles in pickup trucks to cycling shows and other events. These people typically stay overnight in hotels and campgrounds that require the trucks to be parked outside in a parking lot. At night, motorcycles and other equipment or pleasure vehicles can be stolen from the pickup trucks by simply lowering the trucks"" tailgates and rolling the motorcycles or other objects off.
Because motorcycles and the other kinds of objects discussed above are so heavy, it is only practical to steal them if the tailgate of the truck can be opened. This is because an ordinary person, and indeed, two or three ordinary people, cannot, or will not, lift a motorcycle, four-wheeler or mower over the sidewall or tailgate of a pickup truck. Therefore, the need exists for a security device that prevents the theft of large objects from the open beds of pickup trucks.
The invention is a pickup truck tailgate limiter, which comprises an elongated post and means on the post for removably mounting and locking the post to a pickup truck. The post is designed to be locked within a path of movement of the tailgate for limiting opening of the tailgate to a predetermined, restricted limit, thereby preventing, or at least limiting, opening of the tailgate.
The invention also contemplates a combination of a pickup truck and a post. The preferred combination includes a base mounted and locked to the pickup truck, such as the bumper, hitch or other frame member, and a post removably mounted and locked to the base. The post is mounted in a substantially vertical orientation within a path of movement of the tailgate for limiting opening of the tailgate to a predetermined, restricted limit. The post preferably extends from at least near a lower edge of the tailgate to at least near an upper edge of the tailgate.